A favorite refrain of residents in the DMV is: ‘This town is so transient.’ So many people are coming—to work for an administration, to lobby Congress, to cash in as a contractor—and then going back home. If that’s the case, why get invested in this region’s sports team? Well, fans may want to think again about whether they want to root for their home team—or the town they currently live in.
In a span of 16 months, DC teams have taken home three national championship titles. First, the Washington Capitals showed fans what it really means to ‘Rock the Red’ when they claimed the Stanley Cup in June 2018; then the Washington Mystics proved DC women can jump when they won their first national championship in October 2019; and finally, the Washington Nationals appeared to come out of nowhere and win the World Series in Game 7 on Oct. 30.
The region’s diehard and bandwagon fans both donned their best sports gear and turned out for two parades down Pennsylvania Avenue (The Mystics, it was recently announced, will get a parade of their own in the spring). Last month, the newly anointed World Series Champs were guests at a Caps game. A who’s who of DC MVPs posed on the ice, including Caps center Nicklas Backstrom, Nats first baseman Ryan Zimmerman, Caps left wing Alex Ovechkin and Nats right fielder Adam Eaton (pictured above).
It was a photo that less than two years ago would have seemed like a pipe dream. But now? It’s fair to say this region is firmly a successful sports town. And for all the faithful Redskins fans out there, these three wins offer just a glimmer of hope for a someday Super Bowl.
This post originally appeared in our December 2019 issue. Stay up to date on all the people and places that make Northern Virginia shine by subscribing to our newsletters.
